Tesco supermarkets has taken a range of cakes off the shelves of their Irish stores, as a precautionary measure, amid concerns over dioxin found in eggs from a number of farms in Germany.

It has emerged that egg products from the affected farms were exported to the Netherlands and the UK, where they were used to make mayonnaise and cakes.

Health experts have stressed that the dioxin levels found in the German eggs were so low as to pose no threat to human health.

Earlier, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland said that none of the contaminated products were present in the Republic.

Pair held after theft of ambulance

A woman and a teenage girl were arrested yesterday following the theft of an ambulance during an emergency call-out. Ambulance staff had left the vehicle in Hardwicke Street in Dublin's north inner city to attend to an elderly patient in Rory O'Connor House at around 3am yesterday when it was stolen.

The ambulance was driven in the direction of Mountjoy Square, where a garda patrol car spotted it and chased it for a short distance. The suspects abandoned the vehicle at Great Charles Street.

Gardai said a 27-year-old woman and a 16-year-old girl were arrested at the scene. The teenager was later released while the woman was still being held at Store Street garda station yesterday under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.

Two quizzed over death of 18-year-old

Detectives have arrested two more people in connection with the death of an 18-year-old man in Dundalk last year. Niall Dorr died in hospital on October 15, 2010, two days after he sustained head and facial injuries during an assault on Castle Road.

A man in his 30s and a woman in her 20s were arrested yesterday morning in the Dundalk area. They were being questioned under the provisions of Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act at Dundalk garda station.

There have now been eight arrests in connection with Mr Dorr's death.

Mr Dorr was with three friends walking along the road when there was an altercation with another group. He was the only person to sustain any serious injury.

Mr Dorr (18) attended St Mary's College in Dundalk. He had previously represented Ireland in the World Kickboxing Championships, winning a silver medal.

Haughey 'concerned' over casino law

Junior minister Sean Haughey has voiced opposition to casinos as part of any changes to gaming legislation, following the publication by the Government of a paper containing options for the future regulation of gambling in Ireland.

In publishing the document last week, Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern said that the paper, Options for Regulating Gambling, was in response to the widely held view that existing gambling laws were insufficient in this era of global communication.

Mr Haughey said: "That there is a need to examine gambling regulation is fully accepted by most people. But it is the issue whether gaming casinos should be permitted in the State which is of greatest concern to me."

No winner of €3.8m lotto jackpot

THERE was no winner of last night's €3,868,472 Lotto jackpot. The numbers were 5, 9, 13, 17, 24, 38 (bonus 21).

And in the UK draw for a £7.4m (€8.9m) prize, the numbers were 13, 14, 32, 35, 41, 47 (bonus 46).

Man loses finger in machete attack

A man lost a finger and sustained other serious injuries when he was attacked with a machete outside a graveyard in Co Clare yesterday. Surgeons were last night attempting to re-attach the severed digit and save a second finger.

The injured man, who was in his 20s, sustained injuries to both hands as well as to his head when was attacked in broad daylight in front of other mourners on the road at Drumcliffe Cemetery after having attended a burial. The man was wounded as he tried to defend himself.

The attacker quickly left the scene while a relative of the victim gathered up the severed finger and placed it in a paper bag before rushing the victim to hospital in Ennis.

Motorist killed after van hit ditch

A man was killed in a car crash in Co Longford on Friday night. The man, 50, was travelling in a van which hit a ditch at about 8.20pm at Fostragh, Co Longford.

Gardai at Granard are seeking witnesses to the crash. The man's death brings to three the number of people who have died on the State's roads since the start of the year.

Early yesterday, a woman was seriously injured in a crash on the N81 in Tallaght in Dublin. The single-vehicle crash happened at about 1am.

Internet campaign promotes politics

A new web-based campaign using social networking sites and live online presentations has been established to encourage young people to engage in the political process.

Public 2011 plans to host online events featuring candidates in the forthcoming election as well as comedy and musical entertainment.

"We want our website to be a one-stop shop for people who want their vote to count but don't know where to start when it comes to finding out their options," a spokes-person said. Email republic2011@gmail.com for more.

Inquest into death of a 19-year-old

A FILE is being prepared for a Coroner's Court inquest following the death of a 19-year-old male on Friday night.

Emergency services were called to a house in the Hollyville Estate in Hollyhill in Cork city around 10pm. A man was found lying in the hallway of his family home having suffered a single stab wound to the chest.

Gardai say they are not looking for anyone in connection with the incident.

Newspaper retiree left €3.9m in will

A former scion of the Monaghan newspaper, the Northern Standard, has left €3,960,576 in her will. Kathleen Smyth, from Duncinaire, Rossmore, left the legacy following her death in January last year.

Other wills include Edward Callanan, farmer, from Bouladuff, Thurles, Co Tipperary, €1,327,200; Terence Fitzpatrick, of Rickardstown, Kildangan, Co Kildare, €2,038,679; Peter Holmes, company director from Thormanby Lawns in Howth, €1,107,419; Ida Kennedy, from Dalkey, Co Dublin, €677,592; Daniel Grant, from Lucan, Co Dublin, €784,888; and John Healy, a retired journalist who worked for the Irish Independent, from Mount Merrion in Dublin, left €232,516.

The value of wills includes property, including the family home, and should not be regarded as cash amounts